'Pitch Perfect' Star Ben Platt Takes Time Out from Starring in 'Book of Mormon' to Talk All Things Sequel

This is gonna be aca-mazing.

What could possibly compare to scoring your first major movie role in a cult-favorite film? Well, making your Broadway debut in a nine-time Tony award-winning musical might suffice. Enter Ben Platt, the face you may already recognize with the name you need to know/won't forget. The 20-year-old up-and-coming actor has sung his way from Pitch Perfect to Book of Mormon and now all the way back to Pitch Perfect 2, to reprise his role as the aca-awesomely geeky Benji Applebaum.

To say that Ben (hold the ji!) is a busy guy is an understatement—playing BOM's loveable Mormon misfit Elder Cunningham to sold-out NYC audiences six days a week keeps his schedule pretty packed. "I've become so fond of Elder because I get to be the weirdest version of myself," he says, laughing, when we meet for coffee on one of his few breaks. "Then there's Benji, who's a more toned-down commonplace guy who has his quirks."

The LA-native, who's a self-proclaimed fan of Broadway greats Kelli O'Hara, Sutton Foster, Idina Menzel, and Norbert Leo Butz, admits that acting has always been in the cards. "There was never anything else I wanted to pursue," he says. "It was always theater, and movies are a fairly new thing." Like any average fresh-out-of-high-school teen with a dream, Ben was college-bound and on his way to NYC. But then he got a life-altering phone call. "I was packing to go to Columbia University and they told me that weekend that I got the Pitch Perfect offer," he remembers. "I sat down with my parents and discussed what we were going to do (Ben's dad also happens to be the producer of another little show called Wicked), and we knew it was a great opportunity. So I took my bags to Baton Rouge, Louisiana instead of New York!"

While Ben may have deferred from becoming an Ivy League freshman (he's still enrolled in the general studies school!), his fan-favorite Treblemaker counterpart is about to enter his senior year at Barden University. What's in store? "Pitch Perfect 2 is about the Bellas and what happens to them as they get older," he reveals. "All your favorite characters are coming back." And don't forget about the new recruits. "Chrissie Fit was great and Hailee Steinfeld is such a pro—she fit right in. I had no idea she was 17! She's the most mature girl ever. I did most of my scene work with her, which was scary because she was the only one I didn't already know, but we had the best time together."

And there are other surprises up Pitch Perfect's sleeve: "This time it's this big-budget studio film," Ben says. "We have a lot of scenes where there are thousands of extras for big performances, so Elizabeth Banks [the musical comedy's director] always had to make an announcement not to tweet anything or tell anyone what songs we're singing." So is the cast as in-sync IRL as they seem to be on screen? "Yeah, totally," Ben says. "It's fun because we're all in our mid to early 20s—everyone has a lot of respect for each other. Anna Kendrick, Skylar Astin, Hailee, and Rebel Wilson came to see me in the show."

Up next, Ben is starring in the Diablo Cody-penned indie flick Ricki and the Flash, opposite none other than Meryl Streep. Whether he's playing Benji or just being plain ol' Ben, one thing is certain: He's taking both the Great White Way and Hollywood by storm. So stay tuned—this musical maverick is one to watch.

Are you pumped for the Pitch Perfect sequel? Have you been lucky enough to catch Ben in Book of Mormon? Let us know in the comments!